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Jokowi and Xi pledge closer cooperation on COVID-19 vaccine
Xi told Jokowi that China will promote joint research and development on vaccines and continue to support Indonesia in building a regional vaccine production centre, according to a readout published by the Chinese foreign ministry.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (right) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali on November 16, 2022.
(AFP/Achmad Ibrahim)
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hinese President Xi Jinping and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo held formal talks on Wednesday in Bali, with both leaders pledging closer cooperation on the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Xi told Jokowi that China will promote joint research and development on vaccines and continue to support Indonesia in building a regional vaccine production centre, according to a readout published by the Chinese foreign ministry.
"Indonesia expresses satisfaction and gratitude for the cooperation between the two sides in the fields of research and development and production of COVID-19 vaccines, and is willing to continue to strengthen cooperation in health care," the Chinese readout quoted Jokowi as saying.
Indonesia has been a major buyer of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines since the start of the pandemic, administering hundreds of millions of doses produced by China's Sinovac Biotech so far.
In September, Indonesia said it had granted emergency use approval to an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by a Chinese company, becoming the first country, ahead of even China, to do so.
Right before the talks, Xi and Jokowi jointly oversaw a trial of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative and funded by a loan from China Development Bank.
The 142-km (88-mile) line will connect the capital Jakarta with one of the country's largest cities, Bandung.
The meeting between Xi and Jokowi capped off Xi's flurry of diplomatic activity while at the G20 summit, which marked the Chinese leader's return to the most influential stages of international politics.
Xi was the leader everyone wanted to meet at this week's G20 summit, where he took centre stage in a carefully choreographed appearance after three years of self-imposed pandemic isolation.
President Xi strode into Tuesday's G20 summit the morning after a three-hour meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden in which they promised to dial down the rhetoric and work to close the yawning gap between the two powers.
With smiles and handshakes -- as well as promises of fresh talks on climate change and trade -- Xi appeared keen to paint himself as a magnanimous diplomat ready to confront global challenges and build bridges.
Also on Xi's checklist of world leaders to schmooze were Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, France's Emmanuel Macron, and South Korea's Yoon Suk-yeol.
